Someday, I will own something of great value. This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already owns it.

Not Too Bad of a Christmas

Ryua was rather subdued December 17th at breakfast. This was their last weekend before Christmas holidays, and was marked by a Hogsmeade visit to buy gifts before they all went home. Unlike most of the students gossiping in the Great Hall, she had no desire to go home for holidays. She looked up as Draco's Eagle Owl swooped down, closely followed by her own little burrowing owl. His was carrying a large package of sweets, of course, to tide them (mostly Draco) over until they got home the day after, but her owl had a small letter, addressed to both of them in mother's handwriting. Curious, Ryua opened it, poking Draco in the ribs to get his attention.

"What?" All Draco cared about was his Christmas fudge, oblivious to Ryua scanning the letter with growing excitement.

"Oh, put that down, you greedy nincompoop. We're going on vacation!"

"Well, I'm not completely illegitimate, I know this is our last weekend of term..."

"No, you idiot! I'm talking about a vacation. As in a tropical vacation. Apparently Father has deemed us mature enough to go...Hey!" she was cut off by Draco excitedly snatching the letter from her hands.

"No way. This is so excellent. Hey, quit that!" Ryua had just smacked him on the shoulder for stealing her letter. "Although, won't we need like, tropical clothes? Unless we need Hogwarts style winter cloaks in the Dominican Republic?"

"Yes," Ryua said, ever so innocently, "that's why we've been told the day of our Hogsmeade visit."

"Why are you acting so smug?"

"Because mother's sent us money for clothes. Apparently she didn't think we should have to use our allowance."

"Excellent!" Draco reached for the envelope still in Ryua's left hand when her wand suddenly appeared before his nose.

"I don't think so, dear brother." Last time Draco had been put in charge of the pocket money, a delivery of near-illegal dragon skin had appeared on their porch instead of the paint charms they'd been sent to pick out. Probably why mother had sent the money with Ryua's owl instead of Draco's (although, his could carry more candy and so made a better pack-owl). "You can have half, but I'm counting it out. And she did, giving him twenty galleons and keeping half for herself.

"Spoilsport!" Draco muttered.

"Well, if you really think you deserve more than me, you're welcome to try and take it." Ryua smiled sweetly at her brother, although he suddenly became very aware of the wand still held too casually in her hand.

"Whatever." He went back to eating his breakfast, rather like a cat who had just walked into a wall and was having a bath to cover up.

Once in the abundantly stocked clothing store of Hogsmeade, Ryua lost all her misgivings about the impending holiday. She'd tried to convince Pansy and Millicent to come shopping with her, and failed. Which was probably just as well, she mused, neither one had much in the way of fashion sense whatsoever. So, she'd drafted Hermionie to help, who seemed only too happy to do so, Ryua wondering when Harry had gotten his permission form signed. He seemed like too much of a goody to sneak out of the school.

"You know, I love those boys to death, but it's so good to have some girl time once in a while," Hermionie said as they sorted through sarongs and wraps.

"I know exactly what you mean," Ryua replied over the rack, "Draco can get to be really irritating, and he's one of the few you can hold a decent conversation with in my house. Ooh, look at this!" she pulled out a rich green wrap, which contrasted nicely with the black and silver bikini they'd found five minutes ago.

"Perfect! Green really does suit you, you know. Guess there had to be some good in being Slytherin."

"Yeah, you have a point there. But," she said as she added it to the basket, "I refuse to wear entirely green on this trip. I don't suppose you have any suggestions, do you?" she giggled, "I don't exactly wear a lot of color."

"Hmm. I don't really know what you look like in much beside black, green, and silver." Hermionie was staring thoughtfully, one finger resting on her cheek.

"So, where does that leave us?"

"Trying everything on, of course!" And with that, Hermionie proceeded to grab something of every color she could find, ushering Ryua into a small change room.

The Slytherin shyly poked her head around the door a few minutes later. "I don't know about this..."

"Oh, come on!" Hermionie was tapping her foot impatiently outside, "Let's see you, I won't laugh."

With a sigh, Ryua opened the door fully, to reveal a short pink sundress, decorated with pink bobbles, and a fuzzy kitten, with a matching hat and plastic sunglasses. "Where did you get this outfit, Granger? I feel like a two year old in a bad anime cartoon."

Hermionie giggled, then promptly clapped a hand over her mouth as she saw the dangerous glint in Ryua's eyes. "Sorry, sorry, alright, that one was my mistake. Try on the red next."

Ryua spun on her heel and closed the door to hide her own smile at the dress. It was pretty ridiculous, she thought as she pulled it over her head and replaced it with a deep red (she really loved red, for some ironic, unknown reason) something that took her five minutes to discover how to tie up.

"Oh, wow. That is the most fantastic outfit I've ever seen. What is it, anyway?"

"I have no idea." It was some sort of sarong alteration, made out of a silky red cloth that draped and moved in fantastic ways as she walked. It tied once around the waist, the knot above one hip, and split into two strips of cloth after that. They wrapped up around her torso, tying somehow over one shoulder and falling nearly to the ground in a sort of half-cloak. Without a doubt, Ryua knew she wanted it, but there was one problem... "My Father would kill me. Gryffindor red? In an outfit like this?"

"Yeah, that could be a problem." Luckily, Hermionie seemed to think she was just joking, although Ryua wasn't so sure. "I'll check if there's another color... Yep." She came up with a pale sea green, which somehow matched Ryua's ice-blue eyes and white-blond hair without clashing with either.

"Definitely. Add it to the pile!"

"Aren't you going to be the least bit conservative? How much do you have to spend, anyways?"

"Twenty galleons."

"Yeesh, must be nice to be that rich."

"Oh, cheer up. Pick something for yourself out too. It's not like I can really spend it all myself... But that doesn't mean you're off the hook, you still have to help me pick stuff out."

In the end, they managed to spend all of Ryua's money on clothes, everything from bathing suits to sarongs to sun-robes, and even a few tops Ryua was positive Father would never let her wear. Oh well, that's what the chaste, concealing sun-robes were for. They went giggling out into the street, splitting off to the Three Broomsticks and the Hogshead. Ryua found Draco sitting in a corner, trying not to look scared of a rather hairy man who looked to be part bear at the next table.

"Lovely company you're keeping, Draco," Ryua said, sitting directly between her brother and the animalish bar patron, pointedly ignoring the growling breath at her back. Sure enough, it turned away, seeing no use in trying to intimidate her.

"Right. So, been shopping, I see?" he gestured at her bags of clothes and things. He had one.

"Well, of course. How many times has Father given us a free rein with anything? I'm well stocked now." She signaled the barkeep for a bottle of butterbeer, who miraculously sped up to acceptable service speed when he saw the silver she was negligently rolling across her fingertips. Flipping the coin to him and twisting off the top of the bottle, she asked, "What about you?"

"Crabbe and Goyle are not good shopping partners."

"I'll remember that. Anything good?"

He shrugged. "Er, some."

Ryua laughed. "Yeah, I figured that'd be the case. I picked up some stuff for you too. And don't worry, its not pink or girly or anything. You honestly think I'd buy that?"

"Maybe not." He smiled back at his twin. "There're days when I can't imagine what I'd do as an only child."

"Probably fail everything, and end up in even worse trouble than you get in now."

"Ah, but if I were an only child, I'd only get in half the trouble, right?"

"Hah. Maybe, but you'd also only get out of half of it." She chucked as Draco tossed a butterbeer cap at her, flicking her own back at him.

Ryua and Draco had very strange relationship, insults, threats, and actually carrying out the threats were as commonplace as most families' compliments and support. And not that either of them would ever admit it, it was the one thing they would both do anything for. Including when they were both at each other's throats. They had determined early on that they were the only two allowed to bug the other.

Father did not come into the equation much.